Physical therapists put in a lot of hard work and dedication even before they meet their first patient. Knowing their educational backgrounds and training requirements will give you confidence in your physical therapist or even pave the way for your own career in therapy.
All physical therapists are required to have a clinical doctorate degree.
This requires obtaining a four-year Bachelor’s Degree first, which allows a prospective physical therapist to apply to physical therapy school. Although no specific majors are required, there are a number of pre-requisite courses such as anatomy and physiology.
Prospective physical therapists are also required to have a number of shadowing hours in a variety of physical therapy settings in order to apply to graduate school.
Physical therapy school itself is a three-year graduate program, which includes both classroom, laboratory, and clinical learning. During this time, physical therapy students participate in at least nine months of direct training in the field through clinical rotations.
After graduation from a clinical doctorate program, still more is needed to ensure someone is qualified to be a physical therapist.
Future physical therapists, including pediatric physical therapists, must pass national and state licensing exams in order to be properly licensed. In addition, all physical therapists must participate in continuing education programs throughout their career in order to keep their license active and maintain their qualifications to practice physical therapy in their state.
This ensures that all physical therapists are constantly learning and staying up to date with the latest research and therapy techniques.
All licensed physical therapists have extensive qualifications to ensure you get the best care possible. To see how a physical therapist can help your child and family, please don’t hesitate to contact Carolina Peds Physical Therapy to set up an appointment with some of the best physical therapists in the state.
